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With no end in sight to the partial government shutdown, and the possibility that 800,000 federal workers will miss another paycheck at the end of this week, the Trump Administration reported Monday that ‘unscheduled absences’ by TSA airport screeners hit 10 percent on Sunday, with that number jumping over the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend, as security screeners continue to work without pay because of a battle between the President and Democrats in Congress over funding for a border wall. “TSA experienced a national rate of 10 percent of unscheduled absences compared to a 3.1 percent rate one year ago on the same weekday,” the Transportation Security Administration reported, again using the same language in a daily news release that “many employees are reporting that they are not able to report to work due to financial limitations.” The number of absent screeners had held around 6 percent much of last week, but the TSA reported the number of screeners not showing up for work as planned hit 7 percent on Friday, 8 percent on Saturday, and then 10 percent on Sunday. . @TSA says that 10 percent of its workforce had an 'unscheduled absence' Sunday, compared to just 3.1 percent on the same day last year; that means more than 3,000 TSA agents called off #GovernmentShutdown — Gabe Gutierrez (@gabegutierrez) January 21, 2019 The TSA said in a news release that ‘99.9 percent of passengers waited less than 30 minutes’ to go through airport screening on Sunday. But on Saturday, excessive sick calls by TSA airport screeners forced officials at Baltimore-Washington International Airport to use emergency plans to deal with the lack of airport screeners, closing a major security checkpoint early at the airport. That major checkpoint for Southwest Airlines flights wasn’t closed for just a few hours – but remained shut down on Sunday and Monday as well, because of a lack of security screeners. “It is important to clarify that it is not unusual for TSA and BWI Marshall to open or close one of our security checkpoints,” the airport said in a written statement. “This will have minimal, if any, impact on passengers and no impact on airport operations,” the BWI statement read. . @TSA in collaboration with airport authorities &amp; servicing airlines will be exercising a contingency plan at @BWI_Airport due to excessive callouts. Checkpoint A will be closing at 5:35pm. Passengers should arrive early for evening flights. Contact airport &amp; airlines for updates — TSA (@TSA) January 19, 2019 Earlier this month, press reports of airport screeners calling in sick because of the government shutdown – and the lack of pay for screeners – was denounced as ‘fake news’ by a top Department of Homeland Security spokesman, as well as the White House. Like other federal workers, TSA screeners have been coming to work since the partial government shutdown started on December 22; they were paid as scheduled on December 29, but missed a check on January 11, and a second check may not be paid on January 25.

A 9-year-old boy driving an all-terrain vehicle crashed over the weekend, killing a 58-year-old passenger in Osceola County, the Florida Highway Patrol said. >> Read more trending news Troopers said the boy was trying to avoid another ATV Saturday on 8 Mile Ranch Road when the vehicle he was operating hit a brim and overturned onto Laura Bizzell, of Avon Park. The boy suffered minor injuries, but Bizzell died, according to the FHP. The other ATV driver, Samuel Christmas, 53, suffered minor injuries. Authorities continue to investigate the incident.

Two people were injured Sunday night after a police car struck them as they lay in a Florida roadway, apparently to watch the lunar eclipse, according to multiple reports. >> Read more trending news The incident happened just before midnight Sunday near the Apoxee Trail, a 2.5-mile nature trail in West Palm Beach, according to WPBF and city officials. A police officer was patrolling the trail Sunday in a Ford Explorer when he struck a man and a woman, both 24, while traveling 5 mph, WPEC and WPBF reported. At the time, the area was extremely dark, according to officials. Police told WPBF that investigators believe the pair was lying in the road to photograph and watch the super blood wolf moon lunar eclipse. They were taken to a hospital with injuries that did not appear to be life-threatening, according to the news station. The officer who struck the pair, who was not identified, was placed on paid administrative leave as police investigate the incident, WPEC reported. Authorities continue to investigate.

Speaking at a commemoration of what would have been her father’s 90th birthday, Rev. Dr. Bernice King criticized the Trump administration Monday for misquoting her father’s works “to suit our own purposes.” >> Read more trending news King’s remarks were aimed at Trump’s border wall push and comments by Vice President Mike Pence, who during an appearance on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday, said: “One of my favorite quotes from Dr. King was ‘Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy.” “You think of how he changed America. He inspired us to change through the legislative process to become a more perfect union,” Pence said on the show. “That’s exactly what President Trump is calling on the Congress to do. Come to the table in the spirit of good faith. We’ll secure our border, we’ll reopen the government and we’ll move our nation forward.” >> Reflecting on MLK: 'The baddest brother of the 20th century' On Monday, during remarks at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. commemorative service at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Bernice King said: “If we really want to make real the promises of democracy, now is the time on this King holiday to stop quoting King out of context and misquoting him to suit our own purposes.” The Ebenezer audience applauded warmly. Bernice King also called for action on problems facing the country, ranging from the partial government shutdown affecting federal workers’ livelihood to the resurgence of white supremacist ideologies and voter access problems. “We are in a state emergency because of our humanitarian crises, and it’s not at our southern border,” she said. “The concern for human welfare is being threatened.” “When prejudice and bigotry are emboldened…. when schools continue to be unsafe spaces because of impotent gun control laws…. this is a humanitarian crisis and we are in a state of emergency,” King said. >> Delta contributes grant funding to re-open MLK national park During remarks at the service, U.S. Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., called for reflection on King’s words, saying: “He often reminded us that what united us is far greater than what divides us.” The service came on the holiday weekend when the Martin Luther Jr. National Historical Park reopened to visitors after a closure due to the partial federal shutdown. The reopening was funded with the help of a $83,500 grant from Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines. Reopened for Martin Luther King Jr. weekend through the Super Bowl on Feb. 3, are the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church where King was co-pastor, the home where Martin Luther King Jr. was born, the park’s visitor center and historic Fire Station No. 6. “We ought to be concerned that the cradle of the civil rights movement is also the capital of income inequality in this country today,” said Rev. Raphael Warnock, senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church.

A man was hospitalized Sunday after a police chase ended with him jumping off an overpass, according to officials. >> Read more trending news The incident started around 5 p.m. Sunday near 176th Street and Canyon Road in Spanaway when Pierce County deputies tried to stop a car that they say was being driven recklessly. Officials said the driver fled and police began a pursuit. During that time, the driver hit at least one vehicle, authorities said. The chase continued in the eastbound lanes of State Route 512 and onto the northbound lanes of State Route 167, where authorities said the suspect got caught up in traffic. Officials said the driver struck cars on an overpass. His car became so damaged it would no longer run, so he got out of the vehicle and jumped off the overpass, authorities said. Police said the driver fell at least 75 feet to the brush-covered ground below, near Valley Avenue East. Officials found him with multiple broken bones and a collapsed lung. He was taken to St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, where he underwent surgery, authorities said. The other people whose cars were hit suffered minor injuries, according to officials. Authorities said the suspect will face charges including eluding authorities and eight counts of hit-and-run. ﻿The Cox Media Group National Content Desk contributed to this report.

Early choices by Trump have one thing in common – loyalty

Posted: 11:07 am Friday, November 18th, 2016

By Jamie Dupree

If there is one thing that unites the first group of choices for top jobs in a Trump Administration, it is loyalty. Whether for White House Chief of Staff, or U.S. Attorney General, or CIA Director and more, all of those picked so far by President-Elect Donald Trump have been solidly behind him and his candidacy for the White House.

Huckabee on @foxnews stresses loyalty is key in appointments. Expresses concern re those who opposed Trump possibly placed in positions

“I like how Trump’s going to his most loyal supporters first. That’s the way it should be,” said Rick Shaftan, a conservative pollster and GOP media consultant.

Let’s take a look at Trump’s picks so far:

1. Sen. Jeff Sessions as Attorney General. Sessions was the first Senator to back Trump, doing it at a gigantic rally outside of Huntsville, Alabama in late February. Most political know-it-alls at the time still gave Trump little chance of winning the GOP nomination, let alone the White House, as Sessions took some flak for joining up with Trump. But Sessions stayed by Trump’s side throughout all of his mini-crisis points during the summer and fall, and became a trusted lieutenant of Trump along the way. The Alabama Republican was once rejected by the Senate for a federal judgeship in 1986 amid charges of racism; now he is poised to be the nation’s top law enforcement official.

2. Reince Priebus as White House Chief of Staff. Through all of the hand-wringing in the GOP about Donald Trump, Republican National Committee chair Reince Priebus tried his best to keep Trump on the right path to the Republican nomination. He slapped him publicly at times, but also encouraged him privately. Priebus made sure there was no insurrection at the GOP convention against Trump as well. Ultimately, Priebus was not only helping Trump from afar, but traveling with him on the campaign trail, speaking at rallies and urging other Republicans to get on board. Now he can help run the Trump White House starting in January.

3. Rep. Mike Pompeo as CIA Director. Most people have probably never heard of Pompeo, who was elected to Congress from Kansas in the Tea Party wave of 2010. Pompeo has served on the House Intelligence Committee, and was a very sharp critic of Hillary Clinton and Democrats over the Benghazi attacks, as well as other issues inside the Intelligence Community. After the Republican convention, Pompeo did a lot of leg work for Trump at some of the Presidential debates, joining other Trump surrogates in the Spin Room to get out the Trump message, and especially to zero in on Clinton. Pompeo first supported Rubio, but once Trump clinched the nomination, he was on board. And Pompeo is even getting praise from Democrats.

4. Stephen Bannon as chief strategist. Democrats howled when the chief of Breitbart News was brought on board by Trump to run his campaign in mid-August, as many Republicans thought the move was proof that Trump has lost his mind, and would lose the race. But that didn’t happen. Bannon has been a thorn in the side of Establishment Republicans, a crusader among conservatives with his Breitbart News website, as well as someone who led the charge to get rid of Speaker Paul Ryan. Democrats have tried to make Bannon into a political pinata, accusing him of encouraging anti-Semitic and pro-white nationalist beliefs, but those attacks don’t seem to have made much impact so far.

How are the media attacks on Bannon going? Haha, same as fake news about Lewandowski. Trump is a loyal man. Media "shaming" has no power.

5. Michael Flynn as National Security Adviser. In the final months of the campaign, Flynn was not only a key adviser to Trump on national security issues, but also a prominent speaker at many Trump rallies, where he was highly critical of Hillary Clinton and foreign policy choices of the Obama Administration. Like Trump, the former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency believes the U.S. should be less assertive when it comes to relations with Russia; he was even labeled “Russia-loving” by the RT network, the Kremlin controlled TV station. During the campaign, Flynn also readily embraced some of the more outlandish attacks against Clinton, including those which involved accusations of child sex trafficking and more.